Joseph Campbell was one of my favorites individuals on the planet.
Brilliant, wise, compassionate and most of all he had a universal
understanding that is much needed in our divisive world of religious
fundamentalism. He was the creator of the popular PBS series
and book, The Power of Myth, and was renowned for his
ability to show parallels between all the world's great religions.
It was his lifelong work as a university professor of comparative
religion and mythology. "Truth is one, the sages speak
of it by many names," is what he says in the introduction
to his classic book, Hero of a Thousand Faces, which
he translates from the Rig Vedic saying, "Ekam Sat
Vipra Bahuda Vadanthi." Campbell advocated "following
your bliss" and his bliss was to delve into the universal
truths in all cultures and traditions.
This is quite apparent in Campbell's natal chart with five planets
in the universal sign of Pisces - the ruler of his ascendant
and 10th lord of career, Mercury, the Sun, Jupiter, Mars, and
Ketu. Pisces, being the 12th and last sign in the zodiac, is
the most mystical, eclectic, and unifying sign. It is opposite
Virgo, which compartmentalizes information and creates the most
distinctions and divisions. Ketu's presence in Pisces along
with Mercury, his lagna lord, is doubly significant since Ketu
represents mystical, ancient knowledge along with Pisces. This
conjunction would be enough to explain his fascination with
this unique field of study. With the addition of Jupiter, the
teacher, and the Sun, the authority, and Mars as leader and
the occult 8th lord, you can can see why he was on the leading
edge as a mythic scholar.
Campbell's chart is a good example of why we need to be very
careful not to jump to conclusions when examining a chart. If
you look at the condition of Mercury you'll see that it is debilitated
in Pisces, in a planetary war with Jupiter, and combust the
Sun! Taking the typical interpretations of these factors separately
it could be easy to conclude that Mercury is weak, and this
could be the chart someone who has difficulty learning. The
opposite is, of course, the case. Campbell was the epitomy of
a scholar, and wrote several encyclopedic volumes on world mythology,
among the more twenty five books credited to his name.
Joseph Campbell's Natal Chart
Copyright 2006. Vaughn Paul
Manley. All Rights Reserved. |
